Decontamination is performed in a wide range of ways, depending for example of the nature of the object to be decontaminated. In hospitals, for instance, the validated method for sterilization uses sealed autoclaves, at temperatures over 373K. Nevertheless, these temperatures can be harmful to those non-metallic materials which make up at least part of the objects to be decontaminated.
In another proposed decontamination/sterilization method, disclosed in FR-A-2 790 962, an active species having sporicidal effect is obtained from a mixture of H2O, N2 and O2 and is transported in a region to be decontaminated. In this method, nevertheless, the use of water vapour in the decontaminating gas can cause the production of acid, which can be harmful to the materials to be decontaminated.
In the proceedings of club PISE “Stérilisation d' instruments médicaux par plasmas froids” (“Sterilization of medical apparatus by cold plasmas”), published Oct. 19th, 2001, it is described, in “Post décharge en écoulement dans des tubes à la pression atmosphérique” (“Post-discharge in tubes at atmospheric pressure”) an experiment wherein a discharge is created in a gas containing N2 and O2 and the afterglowing activated gas is propagated in a tube and exhibits UV fluorescence in an optical region that might be useful for decontamination. Nevertheless, the active species in this experiment is unknown and, would decontamination be provided by such a method, it would still be necessary to assess its potential effect on the materials of the decontamination area.